Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

I was 18 and homeless when I applied to go to college, renting a room at a friend's house, (just covered a bed, shower and laundry, not food, phone, etc) working part time at a grocery store and part time at a clothing store and taking the Pace bus (Illinois suburbs, no car) to get to those jobs when I applied for financial aid and got into DePaul. So yea, I was well below the poverty line. I was well below the poverty line all through college. I had no medical insurance either. My tuition allowed me to use the school's immediate care facility for things like antibiotics when I got sick, but when I got really sick, and ended up in the hospital, I had to set up a payment plan for that hospital bill when I got out.

It never occurred to me to apply for any kind of government support like the IL Link Card, or anything like that. I just did what I had to do to get by those four years. I had to share my tax returns every year with my financial aid counselor at the school to make sure I wasn't working more than 25 hours per week, which was NOT enough to cover tuition payments, books, food, transportation, etc. but that was the limit set on me so I could keep my financial aid. I worked around that by working nights and weekends at a bar willing to pay me under the table, and cleaning people's houses, walking dogs... whatever I could find, I wasn't picky. It sucked having to go clean some rich person's house in Lincoln Park when I was truly had no home other than the tiny dorm at the University I was going to, and the pressure of knowing when I graduated I needed to have a job asap and the money to get an apartment. The market was much better then, but businesses were also very picky because they had the cream of the crop to pick from, and it was stiff competition. I spent all four years of my time in college working on connections and meeting the right people, and it paid off when I graduated. Someone was hiring, they knew about me, and recommended me and bam. I got a job. It was very low-paying, and I lived paycheck to paycheck and still had to clean houses on the side to keep my head above water, but I was on my own, renting my own place and paying my own way. Not once did I ever rely on government assistance and I owe a ton of money for my college experience, but it was worth every single penny for the person it has made me today.

My mother did this to me, even though I hadn't lived under her roof in a year, and guess what I did? I reported her because I had told her before hand that if she tried to claim me, (which would be a lie) that it would affect my financial aid. She did it anyway, and I reported her. She had to pay that money back to the IRS, and I wasn't affected.

Sometimes you have to make hard adult choices to make it in this world, even if people still view you as a 'kid.' But you also have to do your research and know your rights.

I was in this exact position. When I applied to DePaul University, I was 19, renting a room at a friend's house, I was essentially homeless. I had to fill out a boatload of paperwork, and prove that I had no family support and they approved me as an independent at age 19. I was the youngest (and first) time that had ever been done at DePaul, and it was a huge deal then. (10 years ago) But it can be done. Its not easy, but it can be done.

Really? I'm sorry, but I went to school in Chicago, and there was no "Promise" or any kind of support like that. I had zero support from family. I put myself through a private university and I did it by taking out loans that I will be paying for well into my 50s. I needed everything, room, board, etc. When my meal card ran out, guess what? I had to buy my own food! GASP! And for those times I lived off of Ramen noodles and canned soup and cereal. But I also had a JOB the entire time I was in school. My financial aid limited me to how many hours I could work without losing my financial aid, so I worked 1 legit job, and I worked at a bar willing to pay me under the table, and I cleaned houses, and walked dogs... I did all of that so I could pay for my own books which ran about $300-$500 every ten weeks (Trimester system) as well as paying for anything else I might need. I racked up loans and credit card debt but it was what I had to do to get through college because I knew I couldn't get a decent job without that degree. It sucked but it was worth it.

It's called LIFE. I didn't feel anyone owed me anything then, and it blows my mind to see the entitlement here. And it all comes back to parenting... obviously the parents of these angry students coddled them their whole lives, and now that they are on their own they see how hard it is to take care of themselves and they feel the government should step in as pseudo-parents and feed them like helpless baby birds. The fact that you are in COLLEGE going to school, puts you well above someone who is living on the streets in a cardboard box and the Bridge Card is their only means of survival. These young adults should be ashamed of themselves for thinking this way. Welcome to adulthood, guess what, it only gets HARDER.

I've been working since I was 14, I cleaned houses and babysat before that for money. I paid for all my clothes and anything I needed all through high school, and I've been on my own since I was 18. And I wouldn't of traded that experience for ANYTHING because I was VERY prepared for the real world once I was out in it! To bad these kids parents only raised entitled BRATS.